Chapter 223: Rod vs. Charles

The next day, Wuyou City became utterly bustling. The four major families, the demon race, and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles—all families with significant influence in the Source of Darkness came to Wuyou City. Naturally, those lesser-known small families also sent representatives to attend this annual event, making it an unprecedentedly lively occasion.

Rod finally understood what a sea of people meant. Compared to this excitement, the trade fairs he had attended in Dark Moon City paled in comparison.

By the time the group arrived at the combat arena, it was already packed to the brim. The training ground, capable of holding five hundred thousand people, was fully occupied, with loud noises and an overwhelming atmosphere.

The rest of the participants had already arrived, and Rod met several contestants from Dark Moon City. One of the four spots went to him, while the other three, according to Aida, were given to three prominent families within Dark Moon City—all part of their opposing faction. These spots were firmly under their control, which was why the Nash family had to seek spots from the pro-war faction. Out of the four, only Rod was at the mid-stage divine level; the other three were at the late-stage divine level, looking extremely strong! At least they weren’t inferior to the old Nash—truly a place full of hidden talents in the Source of Darkness.

The vast combat arena was divided into eight fighting platforms, all set up for competition. Next to each platform stood sixteen quasi-divine magical beast cores, along with four or more divine-level warriors. As soon as the battle began, under their control, the sixteen magical beast cores would automatically create a barrier to prevent the fighting from damaging the surrounding area. Such thoroughness was remarkable—just the sixteen magical beast cores alone were likely to make many people eager.

But given the destructive power of divine-level warriors, without such a strong defensive barrier, it was hard to imagine what state the arena would end up in.

“Kid, finish it as fast as you can. Don’t embarrass us!” Sognar warned with a smile before the match started. Although Melon didn’t say anything, his gaze conveyed the same message.

As for Aida and Lilith, they too were full of anticipation, seemingly eager to see what strength they could unleash. This meeting made it clear that Rod’s abilities had improved, but their true level remained unknown. Today was definitely the best chance to see how far their training had taken them! Rod, a man who could never be judged by ordinary standards, always held special interest.

As for Eirwen, the woman whom Rod had always been wary of, she was also watching him with interest, which made Rod feel uncomfortable. He always sensed that Eirwen wasn’t as simple as she seemed.

“Don’t embarrass the lady!” Heibin said rather cheerfully.

These days, who in the Dark Source didn’t know Rod’s name? His fame was soaring. Who wouldn’t know about his connections to the dragon race and his own Black Phoenix clan, even drawing in opposition forces? Just being associated with these three major forces was enough to spark people’s interest.

If something went wrong in the first match, it would be a huge embarrassment not only for Rod but also for everyone else!

“Don’t worry, I’ll finish it in three minutes,” Rod said calmly, looking at those urging him with a wry smile.

His words left the others stunned. Three minutes? They had only asked him to end the fight quickly—this guy was being exaggerated by setting such a specific time.

In a clash between strong opponents, unless there was a huge difference in strength, it would be a war of attrition. Three minutes seemed excessive! It meant that at most ten moves would be needed from the start to the end of the match! Ten moves—even if it were Sognar or Lilith standing against him now, they probably wouldn’t have such confidence.

Watching Rod’s increasingly strange gaze, the others inwardly exclaimed at his unnatural abilities. How could such an extraordinary person appear in this place?

Finally, after a brief wait, the match began. With steady steps, Rod headed toward Ring No. 6. Today, he would show off his abilities here to secure that precious spot. The opponent in the first match wasn’t very strong, so Rod wasn’t worried about failing—he was full of confidence.

Upon arriving at the ring, his opponent was already waiting on the other side. It was a middle-aged man, said to be a strong member of the pro-battle faction. He gave off a gloomy aura that made people feel uncomfortable. Rod couldn’t help but frown. Gloomy, and lifeless—after observing carefully, he sensed this atmosphere emanating from the man.

As the two stepped onto the arena, the five god-tier warriors beside it immediately began to set up a barrier. A transparent barrier, seemingly solid, slowly rose, and in no time at all, it covered the entire training ground like a vast net, with swirling halos sealing off that space.

“Charles!” the man across from him spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

“Rod!” Rod replied, also giving a slight fist bow.

Neither of them rushed to attack; instead, they stared at each other, seemingly searching for weaknesses.

Eight of the arenas had already begun battles, with most of the fighters inside already engaged in fierce fights to determine a winner. Only two or three arenas remained quiet. Rod’s arena naturally became the focus of everyone’s attention. There were countless rumors about this suddenly appearing super warrior!

The miracles he had created kept reaching everyone’s ears one after another. Many were seeing him for the first time. Looking at this young man, they were filled with confusion.

He was just a mid-level god-tier fighter—what ability could he possibly have to drive the entire Dark Source into frenzy, to make the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle and the Nash family suffer greatly, and even force the Fields family to back down?

Most people were eager to watch his match and see what the outcome would be, whether he truly lived up to his reputation.

At this moment, both Rod and Charles focused their mental energy on each other, not missing a single detail, even sealing off the entire space around their opponent. They channeled their combat energy, ready to strike at any moment—wait for the enemy to act, or strike first if they did! This was how battles between masters usually unfolded.

With their intense combat energy activated, the hair of both men inside the energy barrier moved as if in a breeze. Although the actual battle hadn’t started yet, the hidden struggle had already begun.

By now, all the other arena battles had commenced, but this one remained completely silent. Many confused people stared at it, whispering among themselves. Most of their conversations revolved around Rod. Five hundred thousand people—though just a portion of the total—were whispering together, instantly making the entire competition venue chaotic and noisy.

“Brother Rod will be fine, right? Why haven’t they started yet?” On the arena, Aida asked anxiously. The saying “the onlooker sees most of the game” perfectly described her feelings at that moment. Her heart was entirely tied to Rod, so she couldn’t see many of the things going on.

“Don’t worry. That kid’s tough as nails—he’ll be fine. I think we should be more worried about the guy across from him! Hehe, maybe he’ll be crying after this match!” Sognar continued to tease in his usual cynical manner.

His words immediately lightened the atmosphere. Although Rod was slightly weaker than his opponent, for some reason, these people had great confidence in him—perhaps because too many surprising things had happened before. They had begun to learn to become indifferent and trusting.

“Ten moves. I’ll defeat you within ten moves!” Finally, after a brief silence, Rod spoke slowly.

“Hmph, arrogant. I want to see if you really have that strength!” Rod’s sudden words almost made Charles choke. Who would have thought that after such a long standoff, his opponent would say such an arrogant thing?

“We’ll find out soon enough. Just don’t cry!” With a sly smile, Rod said nonchalantly. In fact, the battle had already begun. All he needed to do was disrupt his opponent’s focus and make him impatient. If he could do that, he would already be half-way to victory. In a fight between strong opponents, a rational mind and a calm attitude are crucial.

Everyone knew this, but few could actually maintain it when in the midst of the battle—almost none, in fact. Especially Charles on the other side. The pro-battle faction had warned everyone about Rod’s strength before the match and urged them to be careful. These strong individuals all had their pride; how would they listen? That’s why such emotions arose at Rod’s words. The resentment they had accumulated long ago erupted all at once.

“Stop talking nonsense! Don’t talk big. Let me see what you’re really made of!” With a cold snort, clearly enraged by Rod, Charles suddenly pushed off with all his strength, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, his figure and trajectory indistinct.

A streak of black light flashed, as if tearing through the sky, as he swung a blade at Rod.

The battle finally began, and instantly, the arena became noisy and bustling. It seemed that many people were focusing on this match, which didn’t seem particularly exciting at first. Cheers rang out continuously, leaving many people looking at each other in surprise. As the saying goes, fame matters—even if the match wasn’t as thrilling as others, it still captured most people’s attention. “Heh, this kid… it’s been a minute already. Do you think you can take care of this guy in less than two minutes?” Seeing Rod take action, Sognar and the others became excited as well. They watched the arena and murmured to themselves, their faces filled with anticipation.